Tag Archives: Japan

Belgium 5-2 Tunisia: As loaded as Belgium is, they did not play their best in the win vs. Panama. In this game, they looked to get midfielders Eden Hazard and Kevin DeBruyne more involved in attack in a surprisingly adventuresome 3-4-3 formation. Tunisia plays the same formation, with a backline that plays surprisingly high. Belgium look to take advantage of this early by sending numbers forward and running at Tunisia’s backline, forcing a mistake at an inopportune time. It worked; Tunisia gave up an early penalty, which Hazard buried. Tunisia looked to close down the ball and run the ball down the flanks. Belgium’s talisman, Hazard, looked to get the ball in the box with his back to the goal; he was actually more of the target man than the man up top, Romelu Lukaku. Because of the early Belgian goal, Tunisia had to open up their attack and stretch themselves out, pressing and closing down even more to get control of the ball and go on the counter. Belgium is not the team you want to do that against. It was obvious early on that Tunisia’s high 3-man backline was just not going to work. Belgium ran at it all day, intercepted the Tunisian attack in midfield, then quickly counterattacked when Tunisia left all kinds of space for Lukaku to take advantage of. Witness the second goal, by Lukaku.

Tunisia got a lifeline two minutes after the Lukaku goal on, what else, a set piece, by Dylan Bronn. Tunisia had chances to tie the game, but playing numbers forward and leaving their backline exposed led to way too many counterattacks by Belgium. Lukaku took advantage with a finish just before halftime, and Hazard did the same early in the second half. Tunisia was clearly going to go down playing their game which wasn’t working, instead of making any adjustments. Belgium should have scored more, but Ben Mustapha came up big, keeping several shots on target by Michy Batshuayi out in a losing effort. He couldn’t keep one out, though, scored by Batshuayi in stoppage time. More than the victory, the +6 goal differential will figure heavily in Belgium’s final group fixture against England.

England 6-1 Panana: The focus for England was to get the ball out on the wings with an attacking 3-1-4-2 formation, creating space for flankers Ashley Young and Kieren Trippier to make runs going forward and get the ball into their primary scorer Harry Kane, but they were going to need more from Raheem Sterling in front of goal. Panama were going to maintain a low block 4-5-1 formation, looking to play deep and conservative to try to thwart the England attack. Center midfielder Gabriel Gomez was the center of attack, lying deep for Panama. Set piece service was problematic for Panama, but given how conservative they played and how they sat back and let the game come to them, they were going to rely on set pieces after quick counters without numbers. A bigger issue for Panama was their lack of finishing. Panama was intent on not letting Kane get on the end of long service into the box; problem was on a set piece they didn’t focus on others, which is why John Stones got loose in the box on a corner and headed in a gem in the 8th minute. After getting down early, Panama started making desperate mistakes, committing a foul in the box on Jesse Lingard that led to a Kane penalty. I liked the movement of center midfielder Jesse Lingard, whose position is center midfielder but played with a lot more freedom from sideline to sideline finding space anywhere he could to receive the ball and get it into the box. Panama were 6’s and 7’s in the back, especially on set pieces, as evinced by the Stones goal in the 40th minute, and the Kane penalty in the 45th minute.

England played a surprisingly high backline given the score, so on occasion Panama actually did show some quality getting into the final third, so it’s not like they were entirely toothless. I can understand why the Three Lions stayed on the gas; they wanted to make up the goal differential in their final fixture with Belgium. England’s backline didn’t let up, either, wanting to keep a clean sheet. So they weren’t happy about giving up a late goal to Panama in the 78th minute; it complicated their game against Belgium in case of a tie. Clearly England made its most effective thrusts forward on the right side with Trippier; you’d think Panama would have figured that out at some point. Harry Kane becomes the first England player since Gary Lineker in 1986 to score a hat trick in the World Cup. Panama is out in spectacular fashion.

Japan 2-2 Senegal: Two surprise leaders of Group H, this promised to be a track meet. Japan looked to play a technical, possession-based 4-5-1, moving the ball around and probing for space to get the ball to target man Yuya Osako, who held the ball up in the box for trailing talisman Shinji Kagawa. Nigerian target man M’Baye Niang got a lot of help in the box from a 4-3-3 formation that sent a lot of speedy, powerful players forward through the middle, and relied heavily on winger Sadio Mané to take the ball from the left to the center, while being very physical in the back. Senegal was physically more powerful and very direct going forward, but Japan could match them in speed and quickness. As expected, Mané was in the right place at the right time to put a bad clearance from Japanese goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima back in the net. Senegal was really putting pressure all other the pitch on Japan, forcing Japan to bring their attacking players back in defensive support. Japan caught Senegal ball-watching on occasion, spreading the ball out on the flanks going forward, making overlapping diagonal runs into space both on and off the ball, which caused Japan to finally brake through in the 34th minute on a Takashi Inui from the left flank.

In the second half, Senegal did a better job of switching play from side to side and organizing their attack, as evinced by their goal in the 71st minute by winger Moussa Wagué. Japan’s best attack came down the right flank by winger Hiroki Sakai to flanker Genki Haraguchi. After Japan replaced Shinji Kagawa with substitute talisman Keisuke Honda, Honda made his presence felt in the 78th minute when a confused and chaotic clearance from Senegalese goalkeeper Khadim N’Diaye led to a Honda one-timer. Gotta give it to Japan; they stood up to the physical play by Senegal and the game never devolved into a street fight. Great effort by both teams, who I’m sure feel like they just kissed their sister.

Poland 0-3 Colombia: This game was simple for both teams: Get the ball to their finishers up front. Poland employed an attacking 3-4-3 formation, looking for center creator Grzegorz Krychowiak to link up with Piotr Zielinski and Robert Lewandowski in the box, who is not the kind of striker who can create his own shot and needs service and crosses. For Poland and their 4-2-3-1 formation, their approach was to get the ball out on the feet of their left flank talisman James Rodriguez, the leading scorer in the 2014 World Cup, and let him bring the ball into the box for Radamel Falcao to finish, with Juan Cuadrado and Juan Quintero trailing in. This was a fast-paced game; less time spent in the middle third than you would have thought. Both teams played with a sense of urgency given their unexpected losses in their openers. The unfortunate byproduct of this urgency was that things got chippy and physical, as evinced by the number of injuries. Falcao was getting crosses, but more times than not he was taking on three center-backs all by himself; Cuadrado and Quintero weren’t giving him the trailing help he needed.

Colombia took a more long approach to getting forward, mostly down the right flank with Curadrado. Poland were are little more direct with their passing through the center with Krychowiak, but they just weren’t developing an offensive rhythm, just way too disjointed and unorganized. Surprised by how little thrusts forward Poland got from their wingers Maciej Rybus and Bartosz Bereszynski considering they only had a three-man backline. Yerry Mina used his height and hops in beautiful use on a set piece cross from, who else, James Rodriguez. At some point the Polish side was going to let somebody get behind them as they sent numbers forward to try to get back in the game. It happened in the 71st minute by Falcao, and it happened again in the 75th minute when Cuadrado finished a filthy pass by Rodriguez. Lewandowski was just handcuffed all day by Colombia’s center backs Mina and Davinson Sánchez. Stick a fork in Poland; they are DONE!

The last group to begin World Cup play is Group H, which starts with Colombia meeting Japan. The Samurai Blue come in as one of the lower-ranked teams, 61st in the FIFA rankings. This is a rematch of a group game four years ago in Brazil in which Colombia slammed Japan 4-1. Just a few minutes in, a Japanese breakaway gets a shot off that the Colombian goalie expertly blocked, but the rebound goes right back to the Japanese for a follow-up shot. With the goalie on the ground, Colombian defender Carlos Sanchez used his arm to block the shot. This is both a penalty kick and an automatic red card for Sanchez. Shinji Kagawa delivered the penalty kick to the right while the goalie guessed left for an early Japanese lead. While Japan controls the pace through the first half, Colombia had several scoring opportunities, notably Radamel Falcao several times knocking volleys with an outstretched foot on passes over the top of the defense. Japanese striker Yuya Osaka made a beautiful nutmeg move that led to a good opportunity.

However, neither team was able to put shots on goal. In the latter part of the first half, on a free kick just outside the Japanese box, Juan Quintero fooled the wall by striking the ball under the jumping wall and toward the near post. The Japanese goalie nearly made the save, but the ball just got over the goal line. In the second half, Colombia began to feel the effect of being a man down as the Japanese created several scoring opportunities. Near misses on shots and one good save by the Colombian goalie kept the game tied for much of the second half. Finally, in the 73rd minute, the pressure was too much. A Japanese corner kick resulted in an Osaka header to the far post and the lead. As time wound down, the Japanese used their man advantage to play keep away and keep the Colombians from gaining possession. The Colombians pushed everyone up on offense at the end in a futile effort to get the equalizer. Despite being the underdog going in, the Japanese looked to be the better team, controlling the pace and developing better shots.

8th ranked by FIFA, Poland went into its match with Senegal looking to take control of the group with Colombia’s loss. They played without defender Kamil Glik, benched with a shoulder injury. Perhaps as a result, the Poles opened the game with four in the back instead of their usual three. Senegal opened the game being very aggressive on the attack, sending passes over the top of the Polish defense for its wings to run onto. They were unable to deliver shots on target however. Neither team developed good combinations for much of the first half until 37 minutes in when Senegal strings together passes from midfield to the left side and switching sides to the right. The final pass was to an on-rushing Idrissa Gana Gueye, who rocketed a shot off a Polish defender and into the goal from just outside the box. The goalie never stood a chance after the deflection. Invigorated, Senegal nearly delivered another goal a few minutes later off a corner kick. But the attacker headed the ball down with too much force and it bounced over the goal.

Starting the second half, Poland brought on another midfielder replacing one of their defenders, getting back to the three-wide defense that brought them success in qualifying. Early in the second half, Polish captain and striker Robert Lewandowski, who was the leading goal scorer in qualifying, made a great solo run from midfield, but was fouled and taken down just outside the box. Lewandowski bent the ensuing free kick around the wall to the near post, but the Senegalese goalie made a great save. 15 minutes in, Mbaye Niang, who was off the field because of a slight injury, was motioned on by the referee just as Senegal put a pass over the top of the Polish defense. Niang raced in from the sideline and beat the defense and goalie to the ball. He flicked the ball over the goalie and then followed it to bury the ball into the empty net. Poland complained about the timing of when Niang was let on the field to no avail. As time was winding down, a Polish defender took down a Senegalese attacker near the end line in the box. No foul was called and Poland immediately launched a counterattack off the goal kick where they drew a foul about 35 yards out from the goal. Senegal’s defense appeared to be waiting for the referee to allow a substitute onto the field when the referee instead signaled for the free kick. The kick was expertly delivered into the box where Grzegorz Krychowiak sent a header to the far post for a goal. It was too little, too late though, as time ran out soon thereafter. The referee had both teams complaining about his controversial leading to both second half goals. Group H ends their first matches upside down from expectations with both group favorites Colombia and Poland losing.

What Went Right? Executed a surprisingly positive, cohesive and attractive football approach very well. Stayed very disciplined in the back and compacted the box well without having to defend in numbers, yet used their quickness to get forward and attack with consistency. Japan varied their attack very well, mixing effective counterattacks with concerted, orchestrated attack buildup. A team that played set pieces and 50-50 balls very well even though they weren’t very big or tall. Showed a surprising ability to strike from long distance. Japan’s attack got into the box with regularity and kept opposition defenses on their heels by frequently getting players behind the backline. By far the best team in the tournament at direct free kicks. Never played it safe, choosing to attack early, late and often, and that got them lots of fans. Showed a surprising ability to take players on one-on-one both in possession and not. Played very clean football, never fouling too much and never getting caught up in theatrical gamesmanship. They may not have been the most creative or technically gifted team but they sure played with a confidence never before exhibited. Their last group game against Denmark was Japan at it’s very best; the Blue Samurai just thoroughly dismantled them in all phases of the game.

What Went Wrong? Ran into a Paraguay side in the knockout round that was just stifling. They had to play good defense in their third of the pitch and good offense in the final third because they were inept at controlling the middle third. As a result, even teams with mediocre attacks (like Paraguay) got through their midfield with ease and took lots of shots on them. Didn’t have the most refined finishing skills inside the box, choosing instead to take their more quality shots on goal from long distance and on direct free kicks. There were several stretches where they had possession and looked passing the ball around but they just weren’t going anywhere, and they easily and frequently got dispossessed.

Who Stepped Up To The Plate? The backline from left to right of Yuto Nagatoma, Marcus Tanaka, Yuji Nakazawa and Yiuchi Komano were simply a wall, allowing only two goals in four games, with Nagatomo showing great flair and attacking quality by creating his own shots on goal and getting on the scoreboard. Yasuhio Endo and Keisuke Honda were among the best midfield orchestrators and playmakers in the tournament and take a back seat to no one. Daisuke Matsui didn’t score but was marvelous at getting behind defenses, getting on the end of service in the box, and holding up play and finding Endo or Honda trailing into the box. Junichi Inamoto was the best midfield disruptor they had; why he was only a substitute and not on the pitch for a lion’s share of every fixture is beyond me. Shinji Okazaki was immediate offense up front off the bench.

Who Didn’t Show Up? Defensive midfielder Yuki Abe and Makoto Hasebe were capable orchestrators but as the two players situated just in front of the backline shirked their defensive responsibilities altogether. Yoshito Okubo just kind of flew around without any rhyme or reason, not really contributing anything and giving away a lot of the Japanese possession, but hey, he looked good doing it. Glad to hear the Shunsuke Nakamura retired from international duty after South Africa, but he’d have been a lot more helpful if he had done that before the tournament.

How Was The Coaching? Takeshi Okada got this side to play with confidence and discipline, and unlike his last stint as Japan’s coach 12 years ago, installed an attractive, attacking scheme that got them further than they’ve ever gotten away from home soil. He took a lot of heat for choosing less-known players who were hungry instead of the more well-known established ones, but in the end he was right. Keeping Nakamura out of the starting XI was clearly the right thing to do.

Did They Finish Where They Were Expected? Actually they did better, getting to the knockout round out of a pretty tough group and winning games convincingly against two teams, Denmark and Cameroon, with much more of an international pedigree. This was a very successful World Cup for Japan.

Now What? Here’s hoping that Japan keeps up the positive, open, attacking football while maintaining tactical discipline. They might want to consider getting defensive midfielders who actually defend some.